Pakistan’s telecommunications and information technology sectors recorded strong performance during the first nine months of Financial Year 2026, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26 released on Thursday. Telecom revenue reached Rs 837 billion during July-March FY2026, while the sector contributed Rs 285 billion to the national exchequer in taxes and duties. Telecom investment stood at $567 million during the period under review. The figures underscore the telecom sector’s growing role as a major fiscal contributor at a time when the government is under sustained pressure to broaden its tax base and reduce its fiscal deficit.
ICT export remittances increased by 19.7 percent to $3.38 billion during July-March FY2026, compared with $2.83 billion in the same period last year. Pakistan also formally moved toward the 5G era through a spectrum auction worth around $509.6 million, with PTA successfully auctioning 480 megahertz of spectrum across multiple bands on March 10, 2026. Freelancers’ remittances also rose to $856.3 million, indicating the increasing role of Pakistan’s digital workforce in earning foreign exchange, while the trade surplus in IT and IT-enabled services stood at $2.911 billion, reflecting significant growth compared with the previous year.
Total telecom subscriptions, encompassing both mobile and fixed-line services, hit 207.22 million in March 2026. Broadband subscriptions reached 161 million by the same period, pushing overall tele-density to 82.6 percent. The National Assembly on Thursday approved the Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganisation Amendment Act, 2026, which permits companies to lay optic fibre cables free of cost across any government-owned land and housing societies, aligning with the National Fiberisation Plan advanced by PTA and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication to support 5G and emerging digital services. During the fiscal year, PTA also approved the adoption of Wi-Fi 7 in the 6 GHz band, positioning Pakistan among the leading Asia-Pacific nations to formally adopt the next-generation wireless technology.
Despite the positive headline figures, the Economic Survey’s own analysis points to structural challenges that the sector must address to sustain its growth trajectory. While export earnings have increased, Pakistan’s ICT sector still lags behind regional competitors in attracting large-scale foreign investment and developing high-value technology products. The survey notes that the freelance growth, while impressive, lacks institutional depth, and that the sector faces deep structural imbalances and infrastructure failures that threaten long-term sustainability. The survey indicates that the real test now lies in expanding fibre infrastructure, strengthening cybersecurity, and introducing forward-looking regulation to support next-generation connectivity and sustain Pakistan’s digital growth momentum.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
